Paste feeding brush



Jan. 30, 1934. Rel.. CLEVELAND ET Al.

PASTE FEEDING BRUSH Filed Dec. l5. 1932 l'-"I l l Inventors, Ralph L. Cleveland,v Edward H. Lederer,

Attaregs.

Patented Jan. 30, 1934 PATENT OFFICE PASTE FEEDING BRUSH Ralph L. Cleveland and Edward H. Lederer,

Indianapolis, Ind. v'

Application December 15, 1932 Serial No. 647,328

A8 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of brushes and particularly to a type of brush for applying shaving cream, tooth paste and the like wherein a supply of such cream or paste-like material is available in the handle of the brush and may be fed to the brush for application in amounts desired through a mechanical movement.

A primary object of our invention is to provide a structure which will positively close off the iiow of the paste material to the brush so that the brush itself may be cleaned, for example in Water without the water flowing into the reservoir containing the material. A further important object of the invention is to pro- Vide valve means between the brush and the reservoir of paste material which will give an added impulse to the material owing from the reservoir so as to eject the material into the brush with some force and at the same time sharply close off the iiow from the reservoir.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent to those versed in the art by the following description with reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which ture embodying our invention;

Fig. 2, a transverse section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a transverse section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 4, a detail in fragmentary central longitudinal section of the valve mechanism;

Fig. 5, a bottom plan view of the cam plate;

Fig. 6, a side elevation of the plate;

Fig. 7, a fragmentary side elevation of a modied form of the invention;

Fig. 8, a transverse section on the line 8 8 in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9, a detail in side elevation of the valve structure in the modified form;

Fig. 10, a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section of a toothbrush embodying our invention, and

Fig. 11, a transverse section through the toothbrush on the line 11-11 in Fig. 10.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

Referring first to the form of the invention as embodied in the structure illustrated in Figs. 1-6, this form is herein shown as being applied to the ordinary lathering brush as is .customarily employed in shaving. We form as a handle a cylindrical barrel 15 having a uniform bore therethrough with a rib 16 extending along the inner 5&5 side thereof in parallel relation to the axis. A

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation of a strucclosure 17 is provided for one end of the barrel and a screwthreaded shaft 18 is revolubly supported by this cap to extend axially through the barrel. An end of this shaft 18 projects beyond the cap 17 sufficiently to have a knob or handle 60 19 fixed thereto as a means for revolving the shaft 18. A disc 20 serving as a piston is screwthreadedly carried by the shaft 18 and has a notch cut out of one side to receive therein the rib 16 whereby the disc or piston 20 is held against rotation 65 and by revolving the shaft 18 the disc 20 is thus propelled along through the barrel to travel from one end toward the other depending upon the direction of rotation of the shaft.

On the end of the shaft 18 removed from the 70 cap 17, is an annular shoulder 21 on which a helical spring 22 bears by one end and surrounds an extending length of the shaft. A circular plate 23 is tted over this extending length of the shaft 18 to bear against the other end of the spring 22. -75 The plate 23 is held in compressive engagement with the spring 22 by means of a tongue 24 secured to the under side of the plate and entering within a notch cut along one side of the shaft, Fig. 4. This tongue 24 also serves as a means to prevent rotation of the plate 23 around the shaft 18, the tongue fitting against the bottom or fiatened side of the notch in the shaft 18 in a rather loose manner so that while the plate 23 is held against complete rotation around the shaft, it may turn a trifle due to the sloppy fit. v

The plate 23. is provided with a pair of oppositely extending arms 25, 26, and a cam plate 27, Fig. 5, is placed over the end of the barrel 15 to revolubly receive therethrough an end 0f the shaft l18 and to have the arms 25 and 26 by their outer ends be in the path of a number of inwardly extending teeth or cams 28. The lengths like plane surface on the cam plate 27 under 100 the influence of the spring 22. The cam plate 27 is provided with a plurality of holes therethrough, here shown as four in number, which are normally covered over by the plate 23.

The barrel 15 has the end over which the plate 105 27 is placed secured within a bore in the end 0f a brush 29, here shown as being within the usual rubber material Within which the bristles of the brush are set. A surface plate 30 is preferably placed at the bottom of the bore in the brush and is formed to have-a central opening therethrough discharging into an opening formed centrally through the bristles. Also this plate has a circular chamber formed in it of a suiiicient diameter so as to include the openings of the holes through the plate 27. On the side of the barrel 15 preferably at the end secured to the brush is provided a screw-threaded opening into which the end of a collapsible tube (not shown) may be screwthreadedly entered and the contents of the tube forced therethrough to within the barrel 15. A plug 31 is provided to close this opening after filling. The knob or hand wheel 19 will have been rotated so as to have carried the piston 20 back toward the cap 17 so as to provide the maximum possible volume within the barrel available for receiving the paste or cream material to be employed.

Assuming that the barrel 15 has been lled as above indicated, all that then remains to be done to operate the device is to turn the Wheel 19 until the desired amount of material is ejected into the brush. Upon turning this wheel 19, the plate 23 is turned therewith. During this rotation of the plate 23 it is alternately lifted away and sharply returned against the plate 27 by reason of the arms 25, 26 being carried over the cams 28 which first carry the plate 23 away from the plate 27 against the pressure of the spring 22 and then permits the arms to drop into the depressions between adjacent cams under the urge of the spring 22. Also as the wheel 19 is turned the piston 20 is shifted along the barrel l5 in a direction toward the plate 23 to apply pressure on the material in the barrel so that when the plate 23 is withdrawn from its normal contact against the plate 27, the material then under pressure can rush around the plate 23 and flow out through the holes in the plate 27, through the plate 30 and into the brush 29. This ow is interrupted by the return of the plate 23 against the plate 27. When this plate 23 does return, it does so with a snapping action which adds an impetus to the material then flowing so as to cause it to squirt through the holes in the plate 27 under an additional pressure. Also this snapping action aids greatly in permitting the plate 23 to seat in contact with the plate 27 rather than have a layer of material therebetween which would then gradually ooze out as the spring 22 continued to urge the plate 23 against the plate 27. Thus the brush may be supplied with soap or like material as desired in any quantity depending upon the degree of rotation of the wheel 19. It is also to be seen that the brush may be thoroughly washed out without causing additional material to flow out into the brush or without causing the water to enter within the barrel.

Where it is desirable to keep the spring out of contact with the material employed in the barrel 15, the modified form of the invention as shown in Figs. 7-9 would be preferable. In this form, the barrel l5 has its open end directly supported within the end of the brush 29 and no need of a plate such as the plate 30 exists. Instead the material holding the bristles 29 may be drilled directly through to form the bore 32` and a plane surface normal to the axis of the barrel 15 may be formed about the bore 32 directly on the brush end which extends across the open end of the barrel 15. A transverse partition 33 is provided in the barrel 15 spaced inwardly a distance from the enclosing cap 17 and the face of this partition 33 is provided with teeth arranged annularly in substantially the same arrangement as are the cams 28 on the plate 27 in the form first described. A screw shaft 34 is provided within the barrel 15 beyond the partition 33 to have a sufficient cross sectional area so as to receive slidably'therethrough a shaft 35. The screw shaft 80 34 passes screw-threadedly through the piston 36 which may move longitudinally of the barrel 15 along the rib 16.

The shaft 35 carries a disc 37 below the partition 33 and this disc 37 is provided with arms to 85 extend radially therefrom to be in the path of the teeth extending from the partition. The disc 37 is fixed to the shaft 35 and a spring 38 compressively bears between the disc and the cap 17 normally urging the disc 37 toward the partition 90 33 to carry the arms of the disc against the teeth and normally tending to cause these arms to remain in the depressions between the teeth. The shaft- 35 extends revolubly through the cap 17 to carry the hand wheel 19 in fixed relation there- 95 on as a means of revolving the shaft.

The shaft 35 is free to shift longitudinally through the screw shaft 34 but is shaped to drive the shaft 34 upon turning of the wheel 19. The shaft is here shown as being square in cross section to t within a like bore through the shaft 34. The end of the shaft 34 directed toward the brush 29 is slotted and a valve disc 39 is fitted over the end of the shaft 35 to have a portion cxtending along the shaft within the slot in the screw shaft 34 so that although the shaft 35 may be shifted longitudinally in respect to the shaft 34 and thus correspondingly shift the valve disc 39, the disc portion extending within the slotted portion of the shaft 34 will always cause the valve 110 disc 39 to be revolved with the shaft 34, the disc portion within the slot being flattened on both sides to form a driving connection with the shaft. The disc 39 has a diameter less than that of the bore of the barrel 15 in order to permit the mate- 115 rial in the barrel to ilow around the edge of the disc and escape through the hole 32 when the disc isv withdrawn from contact with its seat about the hole 32. In order to provide a support for the shafts 34 and 35 adjacent thebrush, the 120 disc is provided with a plurality of radially extending arms Which are in sliding contact with the inside of the barrel l5. In this modified form, rotation of the wheel 19 will cause the disc 39 to be alternately withdrawn and returned sharply against the seat in the brush about the hole 32, the piston 36 carrying the material toward the brush and applying pressure dring the rotation. It is to be noted that in this particular form, the wheel 19 will shift with the shaft 35 away from and toward the cap 17 in following the travel of the shaft 35 as it shifts the valve disc 39 under the influence of the spring 38 and the arms of the disc 37 as they pass over the teeth on the partition 33.

Our invention is not limited to use in the type of brush above indicated but may be employed entirely successfully in other types of brushes such, for example, as the common toothbrush wherein the bristles are arranged in tufts. An application of the invention to this type of brush is indicated in Figs. l0 and l1 wherein the handle 40 is made to be hollow with an elliptical bore longitudinally therethrough into which is fitted an elliptical piston 41 to be shifted therealong by 145 means of a screw shaft 42 revolved from an external hand wheel 43 on the outer end of the handle. The same lmechanism for controlling the ilow of the paste from the bore in the handle to the brush as shown in either of the two forms 150 above described may be employed, that form as shown in Fig. 1 being here indicated. The brush back 44 is drilled longitudinally through fromthe end supported by the handle and is provided with a lateral outlet toward the bristles so as to yhave a continuing passage from the handle to the bristles. A cam plate 45 corresponding to the cam plate 27 in the other form is seated over an opening in the end of the handle adjacent the brush head and a valve disc 46 is normally urged thereagainst by a spring 47 so that the disc 47 may a1- ternately open and close passages through the disc 45 under the influence of the spring 47 as the shaft 42 is turned, all in the same manner as shown and described in referring to, the form shown in Fig. 1. v

\ While we have here shown and described our invention in the form as now best known vto us, it is obvious that structural changes may be made withoutfdeparting from the spirit of the invention and we therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations as ma be imposed by the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a fountain brush, a barrel, a piston shiftable in the barrel, an actuating shaft for shifting the piston, a brush base receiving an end of the barrel and having a bore affording normal communication between the brush and said barrel, and a valve mechanism controlling flow through said bore comprising a perforated plate and a second plate alternately covering and uncovering the perforations of the first plate by movement of said shaft.

2. In a fountain brush, a barrel, a piston shiftable in the barrel, an actuating shaft for shifting the piston, a brush base receiving an end of the barrel and having a bore normally affording communication between the brush and the barrel, a valve member comprising a perforated plate and a second plate adapted to cover the perforations of the first plate, said second plate having arm extensions, spring means normally urging the second plate to a position closing an entrance to said bore, cam means in the path of said arms, and means interconnecting said second plate with said shaft whereby movement of the shaft will cause the second plate to be moved into and out of contact with the first plate by the cam means.

3. In a fountain brush, a barrel, a piston shiftable in the barrel, an actuating shaft for shifting the piston, a brush base receiving an end of the barreland having a bore affording normal communication between the brush and said barrel, and a valve mechanism controlling ow through said bore alternately opened and closed by movement of said shaft, said valve mechanism comprising a plate having now-openings and cam extensions. a second plate adapted to cover and close the flow-openings and having arms resting on the cams and spring means for snapping the second plate to a closed position.

4. In a fountain brush, a barrel, a piston shiftable in the barrel, means for shifting the piston,

valve means between the barrel and the brush comprising a plate having flow-openings, a second smaller plate adapted to contact the first plate and close the now-openings, and interconnecting means between said piston shifting means and said second plate whereby the valve means is intermittently moved into contact with the first plate.

5. In a fountain brush, a barrel, a piston shiftable in the barrel, means for shifting the piston, valve means between the barrel and the brush comprising a plate having now-openings, a second smaller plate adapted to contact the first plate and close the flow-openings, and interconnecting means between said piston shifting means and said second plate whereby the valve means is intermittently moved into contact with the rst plate, said interconnecting means including means for snapping a valve member to a closedposition.

6. In a fountain brush, a brush base, a barrel retained by one end of the base, a piston in the barrel, ascrew shaft for propelling the piston in the barrel, a cam plate in juxtaposition with said base, cams projecting from the plate, a valve ldisc in juxtaposition with the plate and having members extending into the path of the cams, said disc being connected to said shaft to be revolved therewith, and a spring normally urging the disc against said plate, said plate having holes therethrough normally covered by the disc.

7. In a fountain brush, a brush base, a barrel retained by one end of the base, a piston in the barrel, a screw shaft for propelling the piston in the barrel, a partition across the barrel back of the piston, cams extending from the partition, a driving shaft extending slidably through the screw shaft and backwardly beyond said partition, a member fixed to the driving shaft back of the partition, a spring normally urging said member toward the partition, said member having arms extending within the path of said cams, and a valve member xed to the end of the driving Vshaft normally closing a bore through said base under the pressure of said spring.

8. In a fountain brush, a brush base, a barrel retained by one end of the base, a piston in the barrel, a screw shaft for propelling the piston, in the barrel, a partition across the barrel back of the piston, cams extending from the partition, a driving shaft extending slidably through the screw shaft and backwardly beyond said partition, a member fixed to the driving shaft back of the partition, a spring normally urging said member toward the partition, said member having arms extending within the path of said cams, and a valve member fixed to the end of the driving shaft normally closing a bore through said base under the pressure of said spring, said driving shaft being formed to rotate said screw shaft, and said valve member being rotated by the screw shaft.

RALPH L. CLEVELAND. EDWARD H. LEDERER. 

